


Shiver in my arms

by evelitan



Series: Sequere Lucem [2]
Category: American Horror Story, American Horror Story: Apocalypse
Genre: Christmas Fluff, F/F, I have no idea how it ended like this, minor Zoe/Madison
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2018-12-28
Updated: 2018-12-28
Packaged: 2019-09-28 22:18:29
Rating: Mature
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 1
Words: 4,547
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/17191328
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/evelitan/pseuds/evelitan
Summary: It’s Yuletide season and it’s time for some celebrations at Mrs. Robichaux's Academy for Exceptional Young Ladies. Misty is going to receive something very special and Cordelia has no idea how her night will end, meanwhile, the rest of the girls at the Academy are having some fun while the students are on vacation.





	Shiver in my arms

**Author's Note:**

> Oh GOD! This spiraled into something much longer than I originally thought and much, MUCH fluffier. It has some mild angst, but a good ending so I think it compensates. I have used elements from different Christmas traditions, but since we’re talking about witches it made more sense to me to have them celebrating the Yuletide instead. I also used something that a lot of people will recognize and it’s not mine, of course, it’s from “T'was the Night Before Christmas”. This fic was largely inspired by Christmas and Tiziano Ferro’s song Scivoli di Nuovo (it’s amazing, I recommend you listen to it, especially during Cordelia’s monologue towards the end). I’m sorry for the possible errors guys, I hope you enjoy reading this story and I’d appreciate every comment and kudos you decide to leave.

It was a good day. In fact, it was a great day. The Yule season had begun a week ago and by now, Mrs. Robichaux's Academy for Exceptional Young Ladies was almost empty, except for the faculty, every one of the students had gone home for the holidays. Most of them celebrated Christmas, Hanukah or Kwanzaa with their families, but few actually believed in those terms, however, they all agreed on one thing, the presents were always worth the fuss.

Zoe, Mallory, and Queenie were in charge of decorating the Academy with evergreens like holly, ivy, blessed thistle, bayberry and wreaths while Madison tried her best to distract a certain tall brunette from her tasks and sneakily hang mistletoes on every doorway of the house. Ever since they had brought her back from hell, Zoe and Madison became inseparable, especially since Misty basically moved to Cordelia’s room. Zoe was hurt at first when she found out her friend was spending her nights with the Supreme, but this misunderstanding was quickly rectified and Madison discovered how warm Zoe’s hugs were, especially in the night.

Cordelia was focused on keeping the Academy’s yearly reports in check, which meant she had to spend an additional three hours a day in her office so she could finish with the records in time to enjoy at least some parts of the holidays with her girls and Misty.

Each of the girls except the Cajun celebrated the Yuletide, she was used to Christmas in the swamps, but she wouldn’t trade her tribe, the family that she found for anything, so they all decided to adjust their traditions a little bit and ended up creating a new one altogether. The coven ended up celebrating the Yule feast on the 25th and today was that day.

Mallory and Queenie were preparing the food for the dinner later that day and they had all but put a charm around the kitchen, making it impossible for the others to enter and eat the food they were preparing.

“I’m not kidding goldilocks, stop eating the carrots or I’ll use you as stuffing for the chicken!” – Queenie shouted as Madison surreptitiously moved her hand away from the bowl with vegetables that was sitting on the table.

“Go check on the garlands in the living room, I’ve got it here.” – Mallory slipped behind Madison and whispered in her ear with a coy smile already knowing that Zoe was in the living room.

“Fine. I don’t want to end up smelling of food anyway.” – The actress said feigning offense, but eagerly making her way to the living room, hearing the familiar hum of the latest song Zoe had stuck in her head, which ironically enough was some ridiculous remix of “All I want for Christmas” and even though Madison teased her about it, she secretly enjoyed it just as much.

“Hey there.” – Madison greeted her as she entered the living room. Zoe was wearing a long black dress and was just finishing putting on some popcorn garlands on the already decorated tree.

“I can barely see the green on this thing.” – Madison joked as she came to a halt behind Zoe.

“I am just excited to celebrate the Yuletide this year…with all of us here. Well… mostly.” – Zoe laughed, but her smile faltered at the end.

“Hey.” – Madison said gently and took Zoe’s hands in hers, finally facing each other properly.

“Nan chose to stay down there. I’m sure she’s actually teaching that demon how to run the business smoother and all.” – Madison reassured her and Zoe giggled. Nan was … something else and even though they all they that she chose to stay with Papa Legba, part of Zoe still missed her friend.

“I think you’re right.” – Zoe accepted, not wanting to dwell more on the people who were not with them.

“Always am darling.” – The shorter witch winked and kissed Zoe on the lips, soft, but longer than a platonic kiss between two friends, they had been taking things slow, too slow for Madison’s taste, tiptoeing around each other for weeks now, but she knew it would be worth it.

Their kisses always started slow and soft, but lately, things quickly heated up and now Madison found herself moving her hand lower on Zoe’s hips and Zoe let slip a low grunt, pushing herself closer to Madison.

“Good Lord! Don’t ya have a room for these stuff?” – Misty shrieked as she entered the living room, now turned dining room, thankfully a shy second before Zoe could knock the tree down since she was almost completely leaning on it.

“Don’t be such a stiff swampy, the walls here are too thin to play innocent.” – Madison said back and Misty momentarily blushed. Zoe was had finally gained control of her breathing and nudged Madison with her elbow, poor Misty was traumatized enough.

“Shut it Montgomery or you’re sleeping alone tonight.” – Zoe said.

“Now that would be such a shame babe…“– Madison talked slowly and moved her eyes up and down Zoe’s body.

“Especially since… I really had other plans for tonight.” – She added and watched Zoe shiver with anticipation.

“Misty! Maybe you should…” – Mallory rushed to the door of the dining room just in time to find a gaping Zoe, blushing Misty and smug looking Madison.

“Help us in the kitchen instead.” – Mallory finished her sentence, but by the look on their faces, she was too late.

“Ya should’ve offered that a bit earlier, darlin’.” – Misty managed to say still a bit shocked. There was a brief silence in the room and it seemed all through the house, not a creature was stirring, not even a mouse, and suddenly, all of the girls began giggling and laughing whole-heartedly.

The girls had agreed on doing a Secret Santa gift exchange and Cordelia smiled softly seeing all of them, including Madison gladly taking part of the game. Almost six hours later, the snow was falling placidly outside and even though it was not the heavy snowfalls from New York, it still created a festive ambient. Inside the manor, Cordelia joined Mallory, Queenie, Zoe, Misty, Coco and Madison who were finishing setting the table and every meal looked mouthwatering. There was a freshly baked pumpkin pie, stuffed orange-glazed duck, still hot bread, tomato and lettuce salad, roasted chestnuts, eggnog, latkes and of course a figgy pudding in the form of a witch’s hat. The girls had made a huge effort to incorporate different elements in their celebration and that included some of the most typical meals eaten during this time.

“Okay girls, I think we’re ready to sit down.” – Cordelia said as Coco put her gift under the tree. She was adamant about tying properly the golden ribbon on top, which occupied most of her afternoon, but it was finally ready.

“Why can’t we just open out gifts now?” – Queenie asked curiously searching for her name written on one of the gifts.

“I thought you were all adults and could wait until after dinner.” – Cordelia said with a laugh, truth be told she knew that opening the gifts would create a sea of wrapping paper and glitter all over the room so she just wanted to delay a little bit the inevitable; getting glitter out of her clothes was not something she looked forward to.

“Fine.” – Coco pouted, but she joined the rest of the girls sitting around the table.

Everyone was impressed with Queenie’s cooking skills when the orange glazed duck finished quickly and even Madison agreed it was better than the ones she had tried before.

“I know the girls are only gone for the holidays, but this house feels strange without them.” – Zoe commented.

“Yes, there’s nothing like waking up to a shouting match from two adolescents to get you out of bed in the mornings.” – Mallory said laughing.

“Well, I don’t miss the cat fighting over cereal. I swear Blanca needs to adjust her attitude.” – Madison said and everyone on the table looked at her with wide eyes.

“Said the pot to the kettle.” – Queenie broke the silence and laughter erupted from everyone.

“Whatever.” – Madison feigned annoyance and Zoe leaned in to give her a quick kiss on the cheek.

“She’s just head over heels for April.” – Misty spoke.

“Aw poor thing, I heard April chatting with Emily the other week how excited she was that she was going to see her boyfriend when she gets back home.” – Zoe said and winced sympathetically.

“That’s not important, just give them a year and you’ll see.” – Madison said with a smug expression, remembering how things changed for her when she got to know Zoe better and Kyle no longer held her interest.

“Maddie she has a boyfriend.” – Misty reminded her.

“So? Cordelia had a husband, what’s your point swampy?” – Madison asked her and Misty stuck her tongue out to her.

“She’s actually right, darling.” – Cordelia finally spoke as well.

“I think they just need time to see what’s in front of them.” – The Supreme said and looked directly at Misty, making her blush.

“Sorry Cordy, did you just admit I was right? I couldn’t hear you.” – Madison teased her.

“I bet twenty bucks they’re going to kiss until the end of this year!” – Queenie said excitedly.

“I bet you thirty they’re going to kiss on Valentine's day!” – Mallory shouted from the other end of the table.

Oh God, Valentine’s day was just around the corner and with all these teenagers… Cordelia’s head was going to explode this year.

“Girls, we don’t bet on our students! And Madison, you have your moments.” – Cordelia spoke loudly, making sure they all heard her.

“Although I think the same as Mallory.” – Cordelia said and winked at the girl, making everyone laugh.

“But still you admit I was right?” – Madison continued teasing her Supreme.

“Time to open the gifts, come on.” – Cordelia said and since everyone had already finished eating, they all rushed to the tree, passing around the gifts.

Once every girl held a gift in her hands, it was time to open them all, finally. Misty ended up with a pair of blue and white wool scarf and gloves, Madison had received a beautifully crafted handmade bracelet with and a box of Swiss chocolates, Zoe got a new stack of pink post its and a Moleskine planner for the next year. Coco had received an original Hermes scarf and some make up, Mallory got a first edition of “A Christmas Carol” by Charles Dickens, Queenie got a wonderful new watch and Misty and Cordelia got a collection of teas from around the world with a cute card of a puppy dressed as Santa.

Everyone was extremely happy with their gifts and several attempts at revealing the identity of their secret Santas were made, but when none of them confessed to anything, the girls just decided to enjoy their gifts, drink eggnog and play some board games. Another half an hour later, the witches had just ended their first game of charades and Cordelia gracefully retired to her room.

“Come on Cordy, it’s barely eleven pm.” – Madison tried to get her to stay a little longer with them.

“Are you going to help me with the reports tomorrow at 8 am?” – Cordelia asked her with a laugh and for a second there Madison thought she was serious.

“Sleep tight!” – The young actress shouted and returned her attention to picking their next game.

Misty stood up quickly and walked over to Cordelia, tugging at her hand and pulling her closer for a chaste kiss.

“I’ll be up in a minute.” – Misty said once they separated from their kiss.

“Don’t worry, come up whenever you feel tired. Enjoy your night love.” – Cordelia answered back and headed up the stairs to their room.

The thing that very few people knew about Cordelia or to be more exact, the thing very few people noticed about her was that she always wore a silver charm on her. Usually, she would wear it around her neck, but the silver chain permitted it to be worn as a bracelet as well, three times looped around her wrist.

Whatever the occasion was, the Supreme always carried it with her and opposite of what one would expect, she rarely let people see it. Myrtle knew about it, Misty knew about it because she'd shiver under her touch every time Cordelia embraced her from behind in her sleep and the cold metal made contact with her skin, Madison knew because Cordelia had confided in her one night when the nightmares got particularly bad, but that was about it. Nobody even suspected Cordelia kept one of her most prized possessions always on her persona.

The charm in question was a simple tree of life, inspired by a Celtic design, looking study and with many delicate branches growing out of it, Cordelia had gotten it with her first paycheck and it reminded her that she was stronger than she thought. Especially when Fiona would tell her how weak she was when she wasn’t able to perform a certain spell on the first try, whenever Hank made a biting comment at how she couldn’t have children… whenever the world would kick her to the floor, there was something about that necklace that gave her the strength to get up.

  
Before she became the Supreme, she had the bad habit of touching her necklace when she was too stressed out or nervous, she would play mindlessly with it, pushing it from one side of her slender neck to the other with her fingers. Thankfully, after her ascension, all the girls quickly started showing her the respect she deserved and now they all loved her, it was no secret that she would give her life for them in a heartbeat; she did give her life for them…

  
Now, Cordelia was sitting on the rug on top of the wooden floor in her room, looking at the fairy lights shimmering around the branches of the potted Christmas tree Misty excitedly selected a couple of weeks ago for just the two of them. They had decorated it together with an abundance of fairy lights and cotton shreds haphazardly thrown all over the pine needles.

  
The fairy lights flashed in uneven intervals and frantic tempo, the ornaments that hung from the tree were all made from a very delicate glass, Misty was so scared when she helped Cordelia put them up.

  
_"Aww, Miss Cordelia they're so pretty! But I don't wanna drop them or somethin' ya know how clumsy I can be ... maybe we should just decorate our tree with lights and garlands..." - Misty said while admiring the snowy moon ball in Cordelia's hands._  
"It's our first Yuletide together Mist, we deserve a nice tree. Besides, we can always use magic to fix them or just buy new ones." - Cordelia said with a smile and leaned in to kiss Misty's soft lips.   
"Come on, you have to put the ones near the top." - The Supreme teased and handed Misty the moon ornament she was holding, reaching for another one in the form of a resplendent sun. Usually, Cordelia would argue that she was just a couple of centimeters shorter than the Cajun, but now having a taller partner turned out to be very useful for the task at hand.

__  
Cordelia smiled at the memory in her head, she was so happy, her heart could burst, and unconsciously she buried her toes deeper in the rug she had put in front of the tree.  
Watching the tree and its lights were one of Cordelia's favorite activities during the Yuletide season and with the warmth of the fire roaring in front of the bed, the Supreme could feel all the stress of the past months wash away. She liked spending time with the girls, decorating the house and chatting animatedly, but she also appreciated the rare opportunity for a moment to herself.

  
All the noise from downstairs drained away as it traveled the distance up the stairs, through the halls, right to Cordelia's room, the girls were still listening and singing along to some carols ( seriously who knew witches enjoyed Jingle Bells that much?).

  
Three rapid knocks woke Cordelia out of her daze and after a moment, the door to her room creaked open and a wild array of blonde curls followed closely by a smiling Misty came into view. The music from the dining room was stronger now, but the second Misty slipped inside their room and closet the door again, silence engulfed them once more.  

  
"You know you don't have to knock right? It's your room too." - Cordelia spoke softly, returning the smile Misty gave her.

  
"Ya just seemed a little... distracted towards the end of dinner so I thought ya might wanna be alone for a while." - Misty spoke, looking insecure.

  
"I'd never turn down your company Mist, today just overwhelmed me a bit so I decided to wait for you up here." - The Supreme said in her usual serene voice.

  
"Why?" - Misty asked and now Cordelia saw the pure look of curiosity burning in her eyes.

  
"Come here." - Cordelia moved her legs apart and tapped the spot right between them, thank god for the fluffy carpet.

  
Misty moved to the spot where Cordelia had indicated and sat down, relaxing against Cordelia's chest, taking deep breaths and just enjoying the silence and the gentle lights bathing room in a soft glow, with shadows from the various objects in the room dancing around them.

  
The room smelled of pine and ambers, and cinnamon, a faint trace of peeled oranges and something else, something uniquely them. The soft crackle of the burning wood and the jumping sparks from the dancing flames in the fireplace were the only sounds Misty and Cordelia could hear. The Supreme nuzzled into Misty's neck and took a deep breath before speaking. Ahh, Misty was wearing the red apple and cinnamon perfume she loved so much.

   
"I am happy Misty. I'm so happy. Happier than ever before and it feels so good, but it's also so damn scary." - Cordelia began talking after a prolonged silence and Misty listened carefully, guarding bits and pieces of information stashed away in her memory.

  
"I don't know how much time I have left as a Supreme and even though I never thought Fiona could have been this happier ever in her life, I understand why she was so desperately clinging to life. I’m afraid I’d want to hold on to life just a little bit more every day towards the end and that want will end up consuming me as it did her. I’ve just gotten you back and I know we still have plenty of time, it doesn’t seem long enough, not nearly long enough…" - She spoke and felt Misty shiver and then stiffen in her arms, the younger witch hated this topic with passion, she couldn't even picture a day without seeing Cordelia, waking next to her, listening to her quickened breathing as she screamed her name in ecstasy... Misty also hated it when Cordelia compared herself to Fiona, she was infinitely better, boundlessly more compassionate and extremely caring, too good to be put in the same sentence even as Fiona.

  
"Don't worry darling, I'm still feeling amazingly good, I promise." - The Supreme quickly reassured her lover.

  
"I'm just so happy to have all or at least most of my girls with me. I'm sure Myrtle is wearing her smug grin and being sassy from somewhere with another cigarette between her lips and Nan... she's enjoying her new status in the underworld... and you... you're finally here, you're home where you belong." - Cordelia said and tightened the hug around the other woman.

  
"I had a wonderful time tonight and I just needed a moment to catch my breath, let my mind revel in the pleasant sensation of the fact that this is real." - Cordelia began trailing small kisses up and down Misty's neck.

  
"I just… perhaps I needed a moment to thank every goddess and god in the universe for bringing you back." - Cordelia whispered near her ear and Misty felt goosebumps cover her body just like every time Cordelia’s voice dripped with barely restrained passion.

  
"God didn't have much ta do with that Delia, it was all ya and your beautiful brain." -Misty finally found her voice again and shifted to capture her Supreme’s lips with her own.

Misty pushed herself closer to Cordelia’s body, her hands began wandering, teasing with slow touches and languid explorations with her lips. Trailing invisible paths up and down the older woman’s neck, gently playing with her earlobe and biting lovingly.

“We never know what’s gonna happen and when Delia, but one thing I do know darlin’ is that I’m always gonna be with ya.” – Misty said as she looked right into Cordelia’s soft brown eyes.

“I love you Misty Day.” – Cordelia grinned and leaned in for another kiss, but just when Misty let out a soft moan and decided to deepen it, Cordelia pulled back. Leaving Misty stunned, looking at her.

“I have something for you.” – Cordelia said.

“Cordelia, you already gave me my gift.” – Misty was a bit surprised, they had agreed on making a donation in each other’s name to a charity organization, because really what else could they want? They were happy and together, the Academy was thriving, the girls were progressing with their studies… besides the Yule season was just as much about giving as it was about receiving.

“Turn around you goof.” – Cordelia chuckled and watched Misty obey.

The Cajun was wondering what Cordelia had in mind, especially when she heard “Close your eyes”, but she trusted her Supreme and did so excitedly. Misty felt how a hand from behind brushed her hair to one side and a moment later cold fingers touched her neck, making her shiver.

“Ah! How can your hands be always cold?” – Misty complained and Cordelia laughed.

“Sorry, darling. It’s true, my hands are usually cold, ever since I was a kid, but I don’t remember you complaining about it last night.” – The Supreme teased her and Misty’s ears blushed.

It was just after Cordelia moved her hands to her shoulders and kissed the back of her neck that Misty felt something around her neck, it wasn’t heavy, but she immediately touched the silver chain around her neck and her mind registered what Cordelia’s gift was.

“Delia… I… I can’t…” – Misty turned around to face the other woman again, the swamp witch had started saying, but Cordelia interrupted her.

“I want you to have it Mist. I want you to wear it so that every time you have a nightmare you feel the pendant on  your skin and know that your nightmare is just that, a bad dream that holds no power over you.” – Cordelia said.

Misty’s nightmares were not as frequent as they were a few months ago, but they were still there, they still tormented her and made her doubt her abilities every once in a while.

“You are part of my tree, the thing that gives me life.” – Cordelia spoke again and Misty’s eyes fogged.

“Aw Miss Delia I don’t wanna think what I’d do without ya.” – Misty said as a pair of tears made their way down her cheeks. Cordelia didn’t want to make her cry, the Yuletide was not a season for sadness.

“You won’t have to. Hey, we still have plenty of time.” – Cordelia spoke and smacked herself internally at the sudden role reversal.

“But it’s not gonna be enough.” – Misty managed to mumble as the tears fell freely from her crystalline azure eyes.

“Mist, we cannot…” – Cordelia wanted to tell her how they couldn’t do anything else but enjoy their time together, but Misty didn’t let her continue with her sentence.

“Marry me?” – Misty blurted out quickly, so quick that Cordelia had to back away from her and think carefully if she heard those words leave Misty’s lips.

“Did you just… wait. What?” – The Supreme’s mind was more scrambled than her scrambled eggs breakfast. 

“Marry me?” – Misty repeated hesitantly.

“I know we haven’t been together for long, but I’m sure I ain’ gonna find no one better than you Delia. There is no one I could love more than ya and Mallory and Madi helped me with some research. There’s this ritual that if performed right it unites our souls and that could also solve our problem when the day comes and your supremacy ends. I can’t lose ya Delia.” – Misty spoke and Cordelia struggled to speak. This all felt like a dream, _what if it was, in fact, a dream?_ Her mind kept asking that question, but the way Misty’s hands were holding hers told her it was no dream.

“Mist that’s a very serious thing… we should talk about it more and not make such a decision in the heat of the moment. It might have huge side effects…” – Cordelia tried to give voice to the reasonable part of her mind, the one that wasn’t screaming for her to shut up and make love to Misty right this second.

“I know I may not seem ready, but I’ve been thinking ‘bout it for a while now and I’m more than sure. I’ve made the research and I love you, Cordelia. So…” – Misty spoke again and this time moved one of her knees up to kneel in front of a stunned Cordelia.

“What do ya say, Delia? Would ya marry me?” – Misty asked with a hopeful gaze and at that moment, Cordelia’s mind finally caught up with everything. The younger woman was still somewhat insecure about the way she saw herself, Cordelia reminded her how marvelous she was every day, but Misty still couldn’t believe the luck she had to be in a relationship with the older woman. They were complete opposites, Misty was messy and dressed in loose and comfortable clothing whereas Cordelia oozed elegance and refinement, the status of a Supreme only made her walk straighter and hold her head high, but her mesmerizing chocolate eyes glowed with gentleness.  

“A thousand times _yes_ , Misty.” – The Supreme whispered and the Cajun beamed with happiness, surging forward and capturing Cordelia’s lips again. This time the older witch didn’t stop her advances, she welcomed and yearned for them.

Misty straddled Cordelia and kissed her hungrily, biting her bottom lip from time to time, tugging at the dress the headmistress wore.

“Take me to bed Mist.” – Cordelia panted, torn between wanting to feel Misty’s body pressed closer to her and wanting to push her clothes out of the way. Misty giggled and took Cordelia in her hands, laying her gently on the bed and giving them just enough time to discard the clothes from their bodies.

It was difficult to distinguish where one body ended and another begun, in the morning light of the creeping sun. Cordelia had been blissfully awake all night and now she was holding tightly Misty, having the younger woman fully on top of her, Cordelia’s smile shone brightly on her face. They still had many things to plan ahead of them, many obstacles to overcome but her heart fluttered each time she thought about her future, about their future, together _semper at in aeternum_.   



End file.
